Method for on-line testing of load control circuitry and the associated load

A method is disclosed for determining the operability of a switching device controlling an electrical load and the status of the load as open, shorted, or normally connected, without disruption of the operative state of the load. The method includes the steps of: (1) commanding the switching device to switch the load to the opposite state for a momentary period less than required for an actual change of state; (2) measuring electrical responses as an indication of the operability of the switching device and the status of the load; and (3) repeating the momentary switch of the load for increasingly longer periods of time until the status of the load is determined or until the momentary time period reaches limiting time duration.